Burial-casket.



W. E. SWARTZ. BURIAL GASKET.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 15, 1909.

Patented Sept. 6,1910.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. /A

W. E. SWARTZ.

BURIAL GASKET.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.15, 1909.

Patented Sept.6,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

WARREN ESTER SWARTZ, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIG-NOR T MILWAUKEE GASKET COMPANY, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

BURIAL-GASKET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN E. SWARTZ, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Gaskets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts hereinafter particularly set forth with reference to the accompanying` drawings and pointed out in the claims of this specification, its object being to provide simple, practical canopy couch burial caskets, each designed to open its full width and which is devoid of upholstery supports necessarily detachable from its lid in order to permit of its being closed.

Figure l of the drawings represents an end elevation of a fragment of a closed unfinished canopy couch burial casket embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a transverse section of said casket having parts thereof broken back; Fig. 3, a similar view illustrating the casket-lid and canopy portion of same swung up; Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view of a detail of the casket; Fig. 5, a front elevation of a portion of said casket having its lid and canopy portion thereof in the same position as in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6, a perspective view of a finished casket full open.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates the casket-body having a drop-front portion, B, and a built-up lid comprising a pair of sections joined by a series of hinges arranged at suitable intervals apart, one of the lid-sections being similarly connected to said body at the rear. A single hinge of each series is indicated by Z; and c respectively. The section C of the lid is recessed at its ends and the other section D of said lid lls the recesses when the casket is closed. In spring-hinge connection with a free side bar D of the section D of the lid (as distinguished from the opposite side bar that has hinge-connection with the lid section C) is a rail E, one of the hinges d of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 15, 1909.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

Serial No. 483,348.

this union being shown, and fastened by staples e or otherwise to the rail transversely of the same, to extend in opposite directions therefrom at suitable intervals apart, are curved wires similar to the one f herein shown. Fastened, by loops g of suitable textile material or otherwise, to the wires is a valance F of silk or other suitable material.

Connected at one end, by a hinge h, to a center cross-brace z' of the lid-section C is a brace-bar G that plays on a cross brace j of the lid-section D, against which it is held by a spring c under compression between the head of a pin m and a washer n, the pin being extended through the washer and a longitudinal slot p of thebrace-bar Gr into the cross-brace 7' of said lid-section D of the aforesaid lid. Clearance for the pin-head is provided in the cross-brace z' of section C of the lid, as shown in Fig. 2. Attached to the cross-brace y' of the lid-section D is an angular spring-latch H that extends into a slot q of said cross-brace, and a pull-cord I connected to the latch extends through the free side-bar of said lid-section and also through the aforesaid valance.

At their ends the lid-sections C and D are connected by a hinge-strip J to which the extremities of an elast-ic tape K are secured, this tape constituting a spring and being on the outside of said strip across the joint of same. A drapery L is connected to each spring-controlled hinge-strip andr to the ends of the sections C and D of said casket-lid.

As herein shown, a prop M may be pivoted to an end of the body of the casket to be put into engagement with a notch 7' in the lidsection C when the same is swung up on its hinges at ay right-angle to said body, said notch being shown in Fig. 5.

The casket-body and the sections of the casket-lid are finished with suitable upholstery, and panels (not shown) are employed to close openings left in section C of said lid.

In practice, the casket-lid as a whole is swung up at a right-angle to the casket-body and its section D swung up to stand at a right-angle to the section C, the brace-bar G moving with said lid-section D until its outer end is caught in the latch H, as shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the springhinges ot' the rail E operate to fold said rail onto the adjacent side bar D ot the lid-section D, to thus bring the wires f, and valance F therewith into vertical position, as shown in Figs. 3 and et. Incidental to the upward swing of the lid-section D, the draperies L and the hinge-strips J therewith are straightened out, as illustrated in said Figs. 3 and il, the springs K in connection with said hinge-strips being expanded. The lid having been converted into a canopy, the front B of the body A is dropped to coinplete the opening of the casket.

The weight of the casket-lid is so distributed, that there is ordinarily no danger of the canopy swinging forward on the hing'es connecting the section C of said lid and the casket-body, but as a precautionary measure against any possibility of such a swing the prop M may be set in the position shown in Fig. 3.

To close the casket, the front B of its body is swung up to normal position, the pullcord I operated to disengage the latch H from the brace-bar Gr, section D of the lid swung down parallel with the section C, and said lid as a whole swung down to normal position, as shown in Fig. 2. Incidental to the folding of the lid-section D parallel to the lid-section C, there is contraction of the spring K controlling the hinge-strip J in connection with each drapery L, the result being an automatic infolding of said drapery, and the wires f coming into contact with the interior of the casket-body, the rail E is swung against the resistance of its springhinges to bring itself with the valance F into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, after which the lid as a whole is swung down to the position shown in Fig. 2, wherein the normal position of the valance support is shown by full lines.

I claim:

l. A burial-casket having a built up lid comprising a pair of sections in hinge-union and which fold together on the body of the casket to close the same, a valance-support in spring-hinge connection with one of the lid-sections, and means in connection with both lid-sections for holding the one with the valance-support swung up from the other at a right-angle thereto when the casket is open, the other section of said lid being then vertical.

2. A burial-casket having a built-up lid comprising a pair of sections in hinge-union and which fold together on the body of the casket to close the same, a brace-bar having hinge-connection with one lid-section and play-connection with the other lid-section, and a latch in connection with the last named lid-section for engagement of the bar when the casket is open, said lid-sections being then at right-angles to one another'.

3. A burial-casket having a built-up lid comprising a pair of sections in hinge-union and which fold together on the body of the casket to close the same, a longitudinally slotted brace-bar hinged at one end to one of the lid-sections, a pin extending through the brace-bar slot into a cross-brace portion of the other lid-section, a spring under ten sion between the brace-bar and the head of the pin, and a latch provided in connection with said cross-brace portion of the last named lid-section to engage said brace-bar when the casket is open, said lid-sections being then at right-angles to one another.

et. A burial-casket having a built-up lid comprising a pair of sections in hinge-.union and which Jtold together on the body of the casket to close the same, a brace-bar having hinge-connectionv with one lid-section and play-connection with the other lid-section, a latch in connection with the last named lidsection tor engagement of the bar when the casket is open, said lid-sections being then at right-angles to one another, and a latch-control device extending through a side bar of the lid-section to which the latch is connected.

5. A burial casket having a built-up lid comprising a pair ot' sections in hinge-union and which fold together on the body of the casket to close the same, a brace-bar having hinge-connection with one lid-section and play-connection with the other lid-section, a latch in connection with the last named lidsection tor engagement of the bar when the casket is open, said lid-sections being then at right-angles to one another, a valance in spring-controlled hinge-connection with the latch-carrying lid-section, and a latch-control device extending through a side-bar of the last named lid-section and the valance.

G. A burial-casket having a built-up lid comprising a pair of sections in hinge-union and which told together on the body of the casket to close the same, a rail in springhinge connectionwith one of the lid sections, wires in connection with the rail transversely of the same to extend therefrom in opposite directions, a valance attached to the wires, and means in connection with both lid-sections for holding the one with the valance attachment swung up from the other at a right-angle thereto when the casket is open, the other section of said lid being then vertical.

7. A burial-casket having a built up lid comprising a pair of sections in hinge-union and which fold together on the body of the casket when the same is closed, means in connection with the lid-sections for holding one of the same swung up from the other at a right-angle thereto when the casket is open, have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in hinge-Strips connecting the ends of the lidthe county of Milwaukee and State of Wis sections., a Spring in connection With each Cousin in the presence of tWo Witnesses hinge-strip outside the saine, and draperies TARREN ESTER SVARTZd in connection with said hinge-strips to fold IVitneSSes: inward therewith. N. E. OLIPHANT,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I GEORGE G. FELBER. 

